Founded in 1908 by a small group of German immigrants who settled in Secaucus, St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church this month celebrates its 100th Anniversary.
“Actually, the first service was held on August 30, 1908 in Public School no. 2, which was located on County Avenue,” said church council president Henry Flaig Jr., a great grandson of one of the church’s cofounders, Henry Glindmeyer. “The original founders were all German immigrants. Most were farmers.”
Not surprising, then, that all of St. Matthew’s historical records and documents are in German, according to church Pastor Nancy Ruckert.
“It makes it very difficult to read old documents,” she comments, adding that she has to rely on German-speaking church members to help sometimes when she needs to refer to historical records.
“But, you know, that’s a part of our history, so [the records] are important,” Flaig noted.
Helping others
Flaig, who grew up in Secaucus and attended St. Matthew’s his whole life said the church congregation had a major impact on his life.
“I particularly remember the Associate Pastor, [I.E.M.] Pflueger,” Flaig said. “The way he lived his faith in his daily life just had such an impact on me as a young person. It really made me want to be an active member of the church.”
Flaig added that since then the congregation has participated in various good works at home and abroad. The church, for example, sent aid and resources to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and St. Matthew’s is finalizing plans to send local teens down to Louisiana to help rebuild New Orleans, which was recently battered again by Gustav.
While many across the country have long since forgotten about the Katrina tragedy, St. Matthew’s continues to make New Orleans a priority.
“But, you know, we’ve always done things like that,” Flaig said, remembering that the church’s Ladies Aid Society, which his grandmother was once active in, sent relief to Germany after World War I.
Despite St. Matthew’s rich history, Flaig and Ruckert admit the church’s challenge today is meeting the needs of a growing and rapidly changing town.
“Secaucus is really expanding,” Ruckert said. “And it’s becoming more diverse. So we now have to find new ways to grow the congregation and go out into the community.”
One of her main initiatives, she said, is to work with Secaucus youth and to take the church into the community – rather than waiting for the community to come into the church.
“The youth programs here have always been credited for being life changing for the children involved in them,” Ruckert said. “My goal now is to continue that legacy.”
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